Salut D'Amour
by A Moment Of Sincerity
Summary: Stressed by academic pressure and weekly missions; Maka has become grumpy. She had been stressing herself that got her friends worried, and she also forgot a very special day."For the love of shinigami! Stop slamming that book into my head!" SoMa, etc.


**Summary: Stressed by academic pressure and weekly missions; Maka has become grumpy. She had been stressing herself that not only her friends were worried but she also forgot a very special day.**

"_For the love of shinigami! Stop slamming that book into my head!"_

**Main Pairing: SoulxMaka**

**Side Pairing: Reverse HaremxMaka**

* * *

**Salut D'Amour**

**One-Shot**

Maka shuffled the papers dumped in her desk, organizing them in a messy way. Soul stared at his meister and sighed heavily. Really? She's taking everything to the next level, thought Soul with a shake of his head. "Hey, Maka," he called, itching closer, "You could always ask for help from a cool guy like me," he said, smirking slightly.

Maka snapped her head towards the scythe, and huffed. "I have no time for jokes, Soul," she snapped, as she messily piled the papers up. She took out a book and hastily turned to a page Sid was mentioning.

"Really," Soul mumbled, sighing again. "What's with the hot temper?"

Maka glared at him, "Just shut it, alright?"

"Sheesh," Soul flinched away, and crossed his arms on his chest.

Maka was getting all grumpy again. _Shut this, don't do that, will you keep quiet, blah blah blah. _It's all the same thing! And Soul was getting annoyed; not just with the nagging but with the Maka-chops too. The chops had become quite frequent. He also remembered when he was being the cool guy that he is; walking down the street with Maka, she has suddenly chopped him in front of beautiful ladies! Really? Soul hasn't done anything! He was just walking! She hit him for no reason at all! _Damnit!_ –But of course, that's what Soul thought. (Ignoring the fact that Maka could be jea-)

He was quite sure Maka's venting her frustrations out of him. Not to mention to Blair and Black Star.

What Maka really needs is a vacation. Maybe, the two of them could go to Los Angeles, or New York. Or maybe to Hawaii too. But of course, just the two of them. No Black Star, no Tsubaki, no Kid, no Thompsons, no Crazy-Stein, and especially no lovey-dovey-dad Spirit. Just the two of them… With Maka wearing a hot bikini… A hot two-piece bikini…

Wait-! Soul instantly snapped the vision out of his head, "Not cool," he mumbled, feeling his cheeks getting hot. He turned to his meister, her hair were astray, and was quite messy. She looked very irritated, and she scratched her head, making her hair messier. She switched from jotting down notes, reading a book, and listening to Sid's drones; doing it simultaneously. Multi-Tasking, Soul would've clapped his hands and praised her, but that won't be cool; she could get more irritated, and slam a book into his cranium –shudders.

" –And that was the kind of man that I was when I was still alive," Sid Barett said, finishing his lecture. As if on cue, the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. No more lectures. Soul immediately stood up, ignoring Sid who was reminding the class about their research paper and the dead line.

The scythe stretched his arms out in a _cool _way, and turned to the blond girl who was dumping her stuff into her bag. "I'm not joking this time, do you need help?" Soul asked more seriously as he pocketed his hands.

"No," Maka replied which sounded a little sarcastic. She turned to her heels and immediately left the classroom.

"Hey," Soul called and tried to catch up, "not cool," he muttered again as Maka leafed through the crowd of students shuffling out of their classrooms. _Damnit, _they're supposed to hangout with Black Star and Tsubaki. Soul then reached his meister by the steps of shibusen, he took hold of her shoulder and turned her to face him. "Uh, hello? I'm your partner?"

Maka huffed, "Damnit, Soul! What do you want?" she hissed, her ears were turning red.

"You just ran away from me!" Soul half-shouted, that he almost lost his cool. _Almost._

"No," Maka replied in a tone like she was talking to a five-year old, "You're just too slow."

Soul sighed, and tried to change the subject –he wouldn't win the argument, anyways… Maka was too stubborn, not to mention, grumpy. "Anyway, we're supposed to meet up with Black Star and Tsubaki, if you have forgotten," Soul said, mumbling the last part.

"Oh," the meister turned slightly away, and thought for a moment.

Please accept so you could just lighten up, Soul begged inside his head, but in the outside, he remained cool and collected.

Maka looked up, "Could you tell them I'm busy? I have a research paper to write," she reasoned, turning to her heels again, not even giving Soul a chance to reply.

_Damnit _Maka, Soul silently cursed inside his head.

* * *

Tsubaki shuffled in her feet, while Black Star was hopping around, proclaiming that he is God, etc-etc. Soul and Maka were late, and she was getting worried if they will ever come. They hadn't come to school today, they had just gone home from a mission: a long-term mission. Shinigami-sama allowed them to rest for today, and attend tomorrow, thus they are excuse from the quizzes, or tests, that they have missed.

Back to the pair, Tsubaki sighed and silently watched Black Star bounce around, laughing with his chest puffed out arrogantly. She chuckled silently as the boy fell silent when an angry seller from a stall shouted profanities towards him. Man, that guy could swear like a sailor! Oh, wait- He is a sailor, considering his sailor cap and suit, not to mention the fish he was selling.

Tsubaki looked away –Black Star started to retort back at the sailor- and stared of the distance where she thought Maka and Soul was appearing. She felt a happy tug in her stomach when she saw Soul walking towards them, but then she felt sadden when she saw no blond walking next to him.

"Hey," he called their attention coolly –especially Black Star's.

"Where's Maka?" Tsubaki immediately asked, staring at the road behind Soul just in case Maka got little late.

Soul sighed, "Maka's not here, she's doing her research paper."

"Oh," Tsubaki felt disappointed. Maka was stressing herself lately, and being stressed wasn't good. She was not a fashion-fanatic like Liz but Tsubaki was quite sure that stress was not good for your health. That girl really needs her vacation. Maybe she could go to Los Angeles or New York… Or even in Hawaii! Hawaii could be a good place to relax. Lovely.

Black Star turned away from the sailor and faced Soul, bumping fists with Soul as a greeting. "Oi!" he grinned, and followed by his laughter. "Took you time to get here!"

"Yeah," Soul agreed, a small but distant smile graced his lips.

"So, where's Maka? Doesn't she want to see the Big Me? The God that she will soon serve?" Black Star said, laughing out loud. Soul, however, did not found that sentence quite funny, especially the 'serve Black Star' part. Like Soul will let _his _meister to end up to an idiot like Black Star.

Speaking of Black Star's idiocy, he maybe an idiot, but he wasn't the god of idiots. He still has a small part of what you call a 'brain' in his head. Say, bigger than an acorn… Anyways… It didn't take Black Star to be a genius to know that Maka was not with them, and she was stressing herself out. He might not be able to feel other's soul, but with his acute senses, he could almost _smell _Maka's daily stress and frustrations. She was pushing herself beyond her limits. Being a friend of her and a God that cares for his people, he still worries about her. Maybe like a little sister –ignoring their ages- or something even more…?

Black Star was confused with this newfound feeling that began when he started to grew tall –but still smaller than Soul and Kid. First, he started to feel _this feeling _when he's around Tsubaki, and Maka, or to any other _curvy _girls. However, Black Star will never admit these feelings out loud and rather keep it to himself –something that he would unlikely do.

"She's busy," Soul replied, feeling a little irritated. This guy wasn't listening to his and Tsubaki's conversation and he just repeated the same question.

"Oh, well! Too bad she's going to miss all the godly things I'll be doing!" he announced out loud, followed by his loud laughter. "C'mon Soul!" he said, slapping his best friend by the back and started marching off, laughing all the way. Soul sighed and followed the enigmatic ninja. Tsubaki instantly knew what would happen; a messy living room filled with cans of soda and chips, and the loud game console music.

They'll probably play _Naruto _or _Tekken_ again, Tsubaki thought sadly, as she followed the two boys. She really needs her girl-time right now.

* * *

Maka jumped backwards as she dodged the pre-kishin's attack. She breathed heavily, her left arm hung limp by her side with droplets of blood that slowly slid to the ground. On her other hand was her weapon, Soul Eater. The kishin was smarter than she thought, not only was it fast but it also calculated Maka's every movement and attacks.

"Oi, Maka!" Soul called his meister's attention, his form was slightly reflected by the blade of the scythe. "Focus, will ya'?"

"Damnit," cursed Maka, gripping Soul's handle tightly with one hand, and forced her other to grip it too. With a battle cry, Maka lunged towards the kishin, the scythe ready to strike. The kishin growl and swung its arms towards the girl, making her flew backwards. "_Kuso,"_ she cursed once again, gripping her abdomen where the kishin had strike her.

"Maka! Focus!" Soul shouted in his weapon form. Damnit, if she continues this, she'll be dead before she knows it! Soul thought desperately, I'll have to return back to normal, I can't let this thing hurt my meister.

The kishin twisted its head and a sickening grin stretched its way across its face, revealing its uneven, sharp, yellowish with strange red stains. It then jumped mid-air, and it dived down to strike Maka with its claws. Maka dodged the attack, she held Soul with weakening arms. "Soul," she breathed out, gasping. "Let's finish this," she told him, huffing.

Finally! Soul thought, and he grinned. "Alright,"

"_Soul Resonance!"_

Maka held Soul behind her, ready to strike her attack, _Witch Hunter_. Then she stroke the scythe downward, the white bright flash of the attack headed towards the kishin. Not knowing what to do, the kishin took the attack with open arms, ending its corrupted life.

A small smile graced Maka's lips; she finally defeated it. Her legs gave up and she fell on her knees; her weapon turned back to his human form, not a scratch was on him. "You idiot," Soul told her as he walked towards the kishin's soul and ate it. Soul was not expecting a retort because from the corner of his eyes, he saw his meister fell unconscious. Soul sighed heavily; he took Maka's fragile form and carried her towards his bike, ready to head home. He couldn't help but think that his meister was an idiot. If Witch Hunter worked, why didn't she just use it in the first place? Why did she let herself badly beaten? "Idiot," he muttered again.

Back to Shibusen. Soul waited outside of the infirmary, while Maka was getting herself fixed inside.

After minutes of waiting, he saw Nygus pop her head by the door and told him he could finally see Maka. With a grunt, Soul entered the room and headed for Maka's bed. The girl was covered in bandages and some blood was already seeping through, and it made Soul cringed at the sight, how could he let this happen to his meister? He slowly approached her, tapping the bed slightly. "Hey," he called; a sad smile on his lips.

Maka looked up, emerald eyes stared back at crimson ones. "Hmm," Maka felt very weak and pathetic under those eyes. _Damnit! _Why can't she get stronger? She wants to protect everybody! She has to get stronger! But… How can she protect them if she can't even protect herself? It was then she decided that she will do everything to get stronger and better, she will protect everyone. She will not be under those kinds of eyes again. She will never fall pathetic anymore! She has to go beyond her limits!

If Soul has the ability of reading minds, he would've called Maka an idiot. "You' alright?" he asked, hints of worry was present in his voice.

Maka would've retorted sarcastically but decided against it. "Yeah," she answered, nodding her head.

Soul sighed through his nose and massaged his closed eyes. Man, he'll die if this ever happen again.

Two weeks later, Maka was fully healed and was up and running. Literally. She's been running around the house, doing this work and that. She was busying herself, and pushing herself beyond the limit. Now, that's something not good for your health. "Maka," he called, his voice sounded a little irritated, "Could you take a break for a moment?"

Maka looked up from her work; Soul took this time to observe his meister's appearance. Bags under the eyes, shaky, blood-shot eyes, pale skin. "Maka, have you been sleeping?" Soul blurted.

Soul could've sworn Maka made an animalistic growl… Or it might be his imagination. "Soul, I have no time for jokes!" Maka snapped and returned to her work.

Soul was taken aback. _Joking? _He is not joking! He simply worries about her well-being! (And that she's starting to creep him out…)

"Damnit, Maka!" Soul slammed his fist on Maka's worktable, making almost everything jump…. And made Maka's hot chocolate spill all over her work…

_Uh-oh…_

"Uhh, not cool?" Soul mumbled, slowly inching away. His meister was awfully quiet which was creepy; he could almost feel the flare of her anger. "Maka?"

With a swift motion, Maka has slammed a very thick encyclopedia into his head. Slamming it into his head numerous of times. "Darn you!"

"Ma- Ow- I'm- Hey!- So-Sorry!- I- _Damnit- _didn't- oi!-mean- ow- to- he-hey!"

"For the love of shinigami! Stop slamming that book into my head_!" _Soul finally shouted, who was now sporting a bloody head, a bloody nose, and heavily bruised arms. "I said I'm sorry!"

Maka huffed, glared at him, and stomped back to her room; slamming the door shut. Soul's shoulders slumped; another sigh escaped his lips. "Idiot," he muttered, referring to himself.

* * *

Chrona made his last attack and killed the pre-kishin with ease; a tired sigh escaped his lips. "If the fight had gotten any longer, I wouldn't know how to deal with it," he admitted, nervously rubbing his forearm.

Ragnarok materialized by his shoulder and started slamming his fists on the boy's head. "Idiot! Idiot! You could've finished everything with one strike!"

"Ow! Ow! Stop hitting me," Chrona said pathetically. The pinkette tried to walk normally, but failed. "Stop it!" he pleaded, and to his luck, Ragnarok stopped his bullying and huffed angrily. "We have to report to Shinigami-sama," Crona told his weapon, and he started to look for something in his pockets.

He was looking for the compact mirror Maka gave him. It was quite special; after all, Maka was the one who gave it. Maka was something special to him, and she was actually the first person who wanted to be-friend him. It made him very happy, and he was glad he met someone like Maka.

Chorna then noticed that his pockets were empty and Maka's mirror was missing. "I-I lost Maka's mirror!" he then proceeded to hugged his knees in depression; "I don't know how to deal with it."

"Idiot!" Ragnarok once again started bully Chrona, slamming his small fists on the boy's head. "You could just go back to Shibusen and report to him directly!"

Realization hit Chrona like a sack of potatoes! He could just go back to Shibusen and report to him directly! -ignoring the fact that Ragnarok just said it to him. Right, that's what he'll do! Chrona rose from his position and started marching back to Shibusen, ignoring Ragnarok's bullying.

…

Shibusen, Outside of Shinigami-sama's office.

Chrona walked out of Shinigami-sama's room; reporting the mission was harder than he thought. Finally, no more burdens on his shoulders (except Ragnarok), Chrona had thought of meeting Maka today. Class was almost finished anyways. He could meet up with her outside, and so he headed outside.

Chrona silently waited by the steps of the magnificent school, waiting for the bell to announce that the school has ended.

"_Kill, kon, kan kon."_

Chrona immediately shot-up from his position and waited for the student to pile out. He searched for Maka through the crowd of students. But then he thought, what if Maka's in mission? What if I didn't see her? I wouldn't know how to deal with it… Chrona felt nervous and wished silently that Maka were there.

And then he saw her. The sandy blond pigtails flew behind her as she jogged down the steps of Shibusen. Chrona thought of shouting her name… But then he thought, what if Maka didn't hear me? I wouldn't know how to deal with that! Chrona felt miserable, but then he noticed Maka heading towards him. He was about to greet her, but the girl flew right pass him, not even bothering to stop and say hi. Did Maka just ignore me? The boy thought, or maybe she didn't notice me? Chrona scratched his head in confusion, "I don't know how to deal with this!"

"_Oof!"_

Chrona then found himself on the ground; someone had bumped into him. "Sorry," the other one apologized, "Oh, Chrona. It's you."

Chrona looked up to see Soul, the one who he had bumped into. "Oh, So-Soul," the white-haired boy stood up and dusted himself, and lend out a hand to help Chrona up. The other boy took it gladly. "What's wr-wrong with Maka-chan?" he asked, while staring at his fingers.

The other boy sighed, "She's fine, just a little grumpy," Soul replied, shaking his head. "Well, I'll just see you around."

Chrona nodded and watched the scythe walk away. _What could be wrong with Maka-chan?_

* * *

Liz silently checked the perfection of her manicured nails, expertly ignoring Stein's lecture. Patti was also ignoring Stein and she was folding an origami giraffe, only to be destroyed later. On her other side was Kid, and she knew that the shinigami wasn't paying attention either. From the corner of her eyes, she could see him glance towards Soul and Maka's direction, and then he would look down and nervously fix his cuffs. He had been doing that for the last few minutes, and she's getting a little uneasy with his behavior.

"Hey, Kid," she called the meister, and leaned closer to him. "You' alright?"

Kid snapped his head towards her, "Err, yeah. I'm fine," he answered with a nod. Liz gave him a don't-lie-to-me-I-know-you're-not-fine look; Kid pouted and sighed heavily. "Alright, I'm not okay, okay?"

I knew it, Liz thought, "So, what's bothering you?" she asked once again. The shinigami turned his head towards Maka's direction, and stared back at the Thompson.

"It's nothing," Kid replied; he straightened his coat and pretended to listen to Stein's lecture, just to get Liz out of his neck. With a defeated sigh, Liz went back to check her nails, she'll just push the answer out of him later.

Now, what could be Kid's problem with Maka? Liz would always see that worried look on his face whenever he sees her. However, whenever she will ask him what's wrong, he would brush the question aside and distract himself with symmetry. Speaking of Maka, there's one thing Liz had noticed; the girl was getting older, not by age but by looks. Liz knew Maka was stressing herself; Liz could already see the pre-mature wrinkles –eek! What that girl needs is a vacation! An ol' good massage. Or maybe be even Hawaii! That would be fun.

Liz will try to talk to Maka later about Hawaii.

Kid tried to focus on Stein's lecture but he would eventually glance towards Maka's direction. He knew deep inside that he was worried. _Worried? _But why? Kid doesn't know the answer. Sure Maka was his friend, but his emotions had been confusing him. It was something he never felt before. This certain emotion would always spark up whenever he's with Maka, or whenever he sees her face. Maybe because Maka's a girl? No, Kid doesn't think so. He's been with Liz and Patti, and he doesn't feel the sameway towards them. To him, they were his sisters. It was something different.

Kid nervously fixed his cuffs, trying to distract himself with symmetry, and he tried pushing the emotion away. He just needs to breathe in and out; he needs to calm down.

_Maka._

Kid once again made a quick glance towards Maka's direction. The girl was not the symmetrical girl that Kid knew. Her pigtails were messy, and so was everything on her. Kid could see Soul's worried stare on his meister. Kid understands that, in fact, almost everyone was worried of Maka. It was also surprising that no one bothered to try to talk to her –well, except for Soul (as if Maka always listens to him, tch.). Kid also thought of giving Maka a break, maybe a date or maybe going to a beach –Hawaii anyone? That'll be lovely.

Going back to Kid, through his Soul Perception, he could almost feel Maka's frustrations, stress, and grumpiness steaming out of her (A massage would be good too). He just wished that the week would end so that they could proceed to '_the plan'. _Yes, 'The Plan'. It was a plan he and Liz had concocted, and they need some helping hands; that is why they'll be informing Soul and the others about 'The Plan' later.

Later.

Soul unconsciously rubbed his chin as he thought; he could feel the piercing stare of the shinigami on him. "Well? Are you going to help or not?" the shinigami asked, who was rubbing his fingers impatiently.

Soul looked up, "Fine, I'll help. As long as it's my money," Soul replied, patting his wallet inside his pocket. Kid stared at him like Soul had grown a second head.

"You sure?"

Soul scoffed and brushed the shinigami aside, "Of course. She's my meister, and it'll be like a gift to her, right?"

Kid pursed his lips, and thought for a moment. Then he sighed in defeat, "Alright, fine," replied Kid; the shinigami pocketed his hands. "You won't mind informing the others?"

"Yeah, yeah," the weapon replied as he walked away. Finally, Maka's having her break, he thought with a slight smirk on his lips. Soul pocketed his hands and went to inform the others.

* * *

A week later, a day before 'The Plan'.

Soul was busy playing with his game console not until he heard the knock by the door. He grunted, "I got it!" he shouted, he stood up from his place from the sofa and headed towards the door. He scratched the itchy part on his scalp and opened the door, only to see Liz standing by the doorway. "Oh, Liz. It's you," he greeted with a nod of his head. "A week already passed, huh?"

Liz nodded in reply, she then handed Soul a paper bag and a card. "Don't let Maka see it, alright?" the pistol told him, Soul nodded, "Good. I have to go now," Liz added and walked off.

With a sigh, Soul headed to his room, and placed the paper bag and card on his drawer. He stared at it for a moment; it was his money, and gift for Maka –deep inside, he knew Maka wouldn't like it. Oh, well! With a shake of his head, he went back to the living room and continued his game. Tomorrow, he thought, finally…

D' Day of 'The Plan'.

'The Plan' was in motion. Soul sneakily placed the paper bag and the card on Maka's drawer. His meister was fast asleep. For a second there, Soul actually thought Maka was cute. _Cute? _Yeah, right! More like a she-devil! Soul thought. He shook his head and went back to his room. Right. 'The Plan' was already in motion.

…

"Hnghh, Soul?" Maka mumbled, she was quite sure that Soul had just entered her room. She sat up on her bed and stretched, a not-so-quiet yawn escaped her lips. She stood up and walked towards the door, but then she noticed the paper bag placed on her drawer. "Huh?" she walked towards it and peeked inside. It was something black and silky. Out of curiosity, she pulled the thing out only to find that it was a dress, a long and elegant dress. "Eh?"

Then she noticed the card, written in beautiful, _symmetrical _fonts, it said:

_Dear Maka,_

_You are invited to a party in the Gallow's Mansion._

_The event will start 7:00 in the evening._

_I'll be expecting you presence._

_Yours truly,_

_Death The Kid_

Maka's eyelid twitched. A party? She has no time for parties! With an angry huff, she took the dress and the card, and headed towards Soul's room; banging the door with her fist. "Soul, open the door!" she shouted. She heard some shuffling inside, and the door opened, revealing Soul who was only wearing a T-shirt and his boxers.

"What?" he grumbled, ruffling his white locks.

"What's the meaning of this?" Maka demanded, handing the dress to Soul's arms.

Soul sighed, and calmly returned the dress to her. "I have no idea," he lied and closed the door, not giving Maka anytime to retort.

Did he just close the door on me? How dare him! Maka thought. "Soul Eater Evans! Open this door!" She shouted; her fist met the wooden door.

Inside, Soul rolled his eyes as he changed his clothes. He took his bag and placed it over his shoulder, and then he headed towards the window. "See you later, Maka," he mumbled and left his room through the window.

Back to Maka. The girl was distraught; she groaned and slumped on the sofa. _Damnit! _What should she do? Should she go to the party? Maka thought silently, actually, I haven't been talking to them. Realization hit her like a speeding bus. They must be very worried about her! How could she let herself drift away from her friends? She was forgetting the whole idea; she wants to get stronger because she wants to protect her friends. If she stopped talking to them, eventually, they would drift away. Then she would be alone.

Maka slapped herself; Soul was right! She was an idiot! How could she-?

With new fiery determination, Maka stood up. Right, she has to fix this, and return everything to normal!

* * *

Later that evening.

Maka found out that Soul escaped through the window. She would yell at him later about that, but now, she has to deal her current problem. She was standing in front of the Kid's mansion; she could see lights coming from the inside. With a sigh, she entered the ground full of determination.

As she approached the doors of the mansion, she nervously fixed her dress and knocked. But no one answered. She felt a little nervous, what if they're not here? –Oh, great! She's thinking like Chrona now. With a large intake of breath, she knocked again. Nothing. Guess no one is home.

As she turned to her heels, she let out a yelp of surprise as she felt four strong hands pulled her into the mansion. _Oh, biscuits!_ This could be trouble.

…

The bright lights temporarily blinded Maka and she could feel herself being held by numerous arms. "Where am I?" she mumbled; she could barely recognize the four figures holding her.

"Maka, are you alright?" one of the figures asked.

"Idiot! You shouldn't have pulled her right in!"

"I-I thi-think she's dizzy."

"Hahaha!"

Maka stood up, pushing the arms away.

"Maka?"

She looked up; the four figures were Soul, Kid, Chrona, and Black Star. Each were wearing their own kind of suits –Maka would've mistaken them for rich boys (Well, except for Kid). Soul was giving her a worried look, so was Kid, Black Star was grinning like an idiot, while Chrona looked a little nervous.

_Once upon a time, seem so like a fairy tale, I guess for us it's true…_

"Happy birthday!" blurted Black Star. The other boys whirled their heads; their faces were painted with shock. "Do you love me now?"

"You idiot!'

"I'm supposed to be the one to tell her that!"

"I-I failed!"

Maka stood there, stunned. How could she forget her own birthday? She could feel tears slowly slid its way down her cheeks. It was her birthday… and… and… She immediately tackled Black Star with a hug, smiling. "Thank you!"

"Uh, err…" Black Star didn't know what to do. Maka was hugging him! Black Star! The one who will soon surpass God! Then he saw the fuming faces of Soul and Kid, which made him grin. "Ha-Ha! Me! The great Black Star had made you two jealous!"

Maka pulled away, and saw that Black Star was correct –though the two completely denied that they are not.

_Poof! Poof!_

Confetti fell from the air, with different voices shouting:

"Happy Birthday, Maka!"

Maka saw everyone, wearing their own formal dress; they were all here. She felt very happy. How could she forget everyone? The people who cared for her… Then she saw Spirit –ugh, she was glad she forgot about her father. Oh, well! It's time to have fun!

The evening was a blast. Maka was beyond happy, she was glad and thankful of everyone. She is absolutely thankful for her circle of friends who prepared this evening for her.

Now, it's time for the climax, Liz thought. She slowly walked towards Kid and nudged him. "Hey, it's time," she whispered. The shinigami nodded and walked towards the DJ, he told him to change the song into something slower. The DJ gave him thumbs up and changed the song.

"Oh! I love this song!" Kim exclaimed, and then she saw Ox inching towards her.

To her surprise, Ox took her hand and kissed it. "My Kim, may I have this dance?" Kim would have immediately declined but gave in anyways.

Spirit was already in the dance floor, dancing with a very curvy woman.

Stein never thought of dancing, but after some persuasion (and a few threats –which was amusing), he had reluctantly agreed to dance with Marie. Sid wasn't good on dancing with slow music, but Nygus has threatened him to dance with her; he very much look like a dancing zombie (which he is).

A slow music, Maka thought and cringed, I hope no one will try to ask to dance-

"Hey, Maka!"

_Too late. _Stiffly, Maka turned to the one who called her, which was Black Star. "Yeah?"

"C'mon! Let's show the person on the dance floor who's bigger!" he exclaimed followed by his laughter. He took Maka (forcefully) to the dance floor and started dancing with her. Much to her surprise, Black Star was actually leading. "So, Maka! What can you say about the Big ol' Me?" he asked, grinning.

Maka couldn't help but smile back, she has to admit, Black Star had been sweet to her. Black Star… What can she say about Black Star without making his head swell up? She sighed and looked down, silently watching their feet. He has been a great friend; he was her childhood friend, and someone important to her. He was strong, noisy and idiotic… Maka chuckled silently –forgetting about the ninja, who she was dancing with. She was just glad she has a friend like him.

"What can I say about you? Well… I still think you're an idiot," she told him playfully.

Black Star grinned, "Hey, at least I'm your idiot," he replied playfully –not with his usual loud voice.

The song has ended. When Maka thought she could finally sit down, Kid had approached her, "My lady," he bowed low and took her hand, "May I?" Maka smiled at him and took his hand.

Kid had taken her to the middle of the dance floor and started leading. "I must say that you are different than the others," Kid said, a genuine smile graced his usual-pale lips.

"Hmm?" Maka mumbled, she closed her eyes and let Kid lead her throughout the dance floor. Kid was also someone special to him, not because he was the Shinigami-sama's son but because he was one of her closest friends. They had talked, they have some things in common, and he has this respect for her. His piercing gold eyes would always soften whenever he sees her; it was not his usual eyes whenever he's in the battlefield. No, but right now, they were dancing.

He was quite elegant; he has this aura that shows admiration and respect. He was a strong person, someone she admires and respects.

"Maka," he called her name, she looked up and stared back at his golden eyes. "I don't how to say this but… I like you."

Maka was confused. What does he mean by like? That she did not know.

The song has ended and Kid led her back to where she was before. She had sat down for a moment and allowed her feet to rest. The next song started, she was expecting another boy to dance with her, but no one decided to ask. Well, that's what she thought. After a few minutes of waiting, a very nervous Chrona approached her.

"Ma-Ma-Maka," he stuttered, shaking slightly. "Wo-Wou-Wo-" before he could finish (Maka doubt he'll ever finish), the meister placed a slim finger on his lips and silenced him. He was blushing heavily at the contact.

"Sure," she said, taking Chrona's shaking hand. However, they haven't started dancing.

"I don't know how to dance," Chrona mumbled, looking away shyly.

Maka smiled at him, "It's alright, let's just have fun," she told him. The boy looked at her and smiled; the two started dancing.

Chrona, another person important to her, he's quite shy, depressed, and… cute. When Maka first met him, she had thought of defeating him. He had hurt Soul before, but Maka had forgiven him. Every time she would remember Chrona's mother, she would get angry. What kind of parent will raise his/her child to be a kishin? She was mad beyond limits. Maka was just glad she has Chrona by her side, away from madness.

Maka wanted to protect Chrona from madness; she will never forgive herself if he ended up being a kishin. She will make sure that Chrona will be right by her side, forever and always.

As the song slowly ended, Chrona let out the breath he was holding throughout the song. Maka chuckled silently, and patted him, "You did great, Chrona," she told him as they went back to the side of the room.

"Th-thanks," Chrona scratched the back of his head, a slight blush on his cheeks. He stared at Maka for a moment before landing a kiss on her cheeks. Before Maka could realize what happened, Chrona was already gone.

Her hand travelled up to her cheeks, she could already feel it heating up. Did Chrona just kiss me? She thought, feeling a little confused; the boys sure are acting weird today. Maka sat back to her chair and watched the others dance. She saw Black Star dancing with Tsubaki, and Kid was also dancing with Liz. While Patti was eating cake with –is that Excalibur? That, Maka wasn't so sure.

All of her friends were having fun. But then she noticed the lack of presence of her other most important friend, Soul Eater. She thought of looking for him, not until he had suddenly showed up in front of her.

"Oi," he called her, placing his hands inside his pockets. Maka looked up at him and smiled. The two didn't exchange words and just stared at each other. Soul then removed one of his hands from his pocket and lent it out to Maka. His meister took it gratefully; he grinned and led her to the dance floor.

The two were silent; they were just dancing, enjoying each other's presence.

Not until Soul decided to break it. "You're an idiot, y'know that?" he told her. Maka's face contorted to that of anger and glared at him.

"And what does that mean, 'Mr. oh-I'm-so-cool-and-my-meister's-an-idiot'?" Maka retorted, glaring daggers at him.

Soul rolled his eyes, "You've been an idiot for the past few weeks! You've been stressing yourself, and you're pushing yourself beyond the limit!" he told her, a slight frown on his lips.

Maka growled, "I have to! If I don't get stronger, then I won't be able to protect you!" Maka half-shouted, glaring at his partner, but then she realized that she had only pertained to Soul, "And the others!" she quickly added, blushing slightly.

"Like I said; you're an idiot," Soul repeated. Maka opened her mouth to retort once again but Soul cut her off. "If you think stressing yourself will make you stronger, then you're wrong," he paused and sighed heavily. "I mean, you need to rest, and pushing yourself isn't going to work either."

Maka huffed angrily and looked away. She could feel the awkwardness of them; they were dancing and they were fighting. She could already feel the stares of the other dancers. "Look, Maka. Why don't you just be yourself? Like before?"

Maka looked back at him, emerald against crimson eyes. "Everyone's been worried about you, if you haven't noticed," Soul continued. Maka doesn't know what to say, she made everyone worried.

Soul's been there for her; he was her weapon and her best friend. She had been mean to him this past few weeks, and she haven't even tried to apologize. "I'm sorry," Maka apologized; she pulled away from Soul and went to the side, not even bothering to finish the song. Soul silently followed her.

Maka had headed towards her friends, with Soul trailing behind her. She approached them; they were all there, Black Star, Tsubaki, Chrona, Kid, Liz, and Patti. She has to apologize. "Listen everyone," she had called their attention. "I'm sorry I made everyone worried."

"I'm sorry I hurt everyone!"

"And I'm sorry because-"Before Maka could finish, she felt a hand patting her in the head.

"It's alright, Maka. We forgive you," it was Soul; Maka looked up at him and grinned, the weapon grinned back.

"Finally to have you back, Maka," Kid said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She looked at everyone; they were smiling at her. Tsubaki smiled at her, Liz gave her a 'nice-nice' thumbs-up, and Patti grinned at her and giggled. Chrona approached her and gave her a nervous smile.

Maka felt satisfied, surrounded by her circle of friends.

It was a perfect moment.

"Hey, Maka! Have I told you how sexy you are in your dress?" Black Star exclaimed, laughing haughtily.

"Black Star," they growled, angry at him for ruining the moment.

"MAKA-CHOP!"

Seriously, some people need to shut up and keep quiet.

* * *

**A Moment Of Sincerity: Finally! I've finished it! It took me three days! *sighs***

**Now, I've written this just to try different pairings. Well, it kinda revolved around Maka so… Yeah…**

**I would like to thank Shoot My Tongue for proofreading this! Thank you very much.**

**Just leave your REVIEWS, and tell me your opinions! Thanks!**


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